1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of process modeling and more particularly to importing a visually specified process model.
2. Description of the Related Art
Process modeling relates to the modeling of dynamic or static systems. A dynamic system is an entity which can be described in terms of input, output and state. A static system is an entity having a constant state irrespective of input and output. Dynamic and static systems include, but are not limited to, enterprise management systems, engineering systems, networked information technology systems, utility systems, utility computing systems, autonomic computing systems, on-demand systems, electric power grids, biological systems, medical systems, weather systems, financial market systems, and business process systems. Such systems can be modeled for a variety of purposes including monitoring, analysis, control, design, simulation, and management.
A model is an abstract description of a process such as a business process or any other process related to the lifecycle of a system. The abstract description of the model can include sufficient detail required by a simulation engine for exercising the process model with one or more scenarios to determine a likely outcome. Models generally specify one or more tasks or activities of a process and the relationship between the different tasks or activities. As part of the model, one or more events or conditions leading to the transition from one task or activity to the next can be specified. Models generally are expressed according to a specific format. Exemplary formats include Activity Decision Flow (ADF), Business Object Model (BOM), and the Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), to name only a few.
While a process generally is known to be represented in one of several textual formats, the visual representation of a process model often arises—particularly where a flow chart can be of value in describing a process or workflow. In many cases, ordinary drawing software can be used to model a process. The visual modeling of a process can provide a marked advantage over more traditional model formatting methodologies. First, inexperienced modelers can rapidly produce a visual model simply through an understanding of the modeled process itself. Second, complex multi-role, multi-location flows can be readily understood in a visual model where portions of the visual model are clearly demarcated according to actor and location.
Despite the advantages of a visual process model, model manipulating applications including simulation engines are not always pre-configured to handle a visual model in a particular format. Rather, many applications only import process models formatted in a textual manner such as a delimited text file. Where visual process models can be imported, the shapes of the visual process model are pre-configured to map to pre-determined process elements in a target process model. In most cases, the pre-determined process elements are hidden from view from the user, and the mapping can never be dynamically modified to accommodate the varying needs of the end user. Finally, while groupings of shapes in the visual process model can represent a set of activities to be performed in association with a particular role, location, resource, or other categorization, these groupings do not carry forward into the target process model leaving the target process model with a translated arrangement of visual objects lacking semantics and defined structure.